Hamlet's Death, plate 16 from Hamlet

Hamlet's Death, plate 16 from Hamlet by Eugène Delacroix French, 1798-1863, captures the dramatic, climactic moment of Shakespeare's tragedy. Executed in 1843, this lithograph forms the final plate in Delacroix’s seminal series of prints dedicated to illustrating the play. This sustained engagement with the English playwright’s works was a defining characteristic of French Romanticism, which Delacroix championed throughout his career.

Classified as a print, the work utilizes the nuanced medium of lithography in black ink on delicate white China paper, which was subsequently laid down on a sturdy white wove paper support. This method allowed Delacroix to achieve deep velvety blacks and intense contrasts, conveying the gravity and emotional intensity of the death scene. The subject shows the dying Prince surrounded by the devastated court, a visual interpretation that emphasizes the tragedy and pathos central to the Romantic aesthetic.

Delacroix created a total of sixteen plates illustrating Hamlet, solidifying his reputation as a master draftsman and printmaker. These interpretive prints were crucial in disseminating the artist’s powerful vision across France and Europe in the mid-19th century. The series, including the powerful imagery of Hamlet's Death, remains a definitive example of the artist’s graphic genius and is currently held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.